GOLDSTREAM Road tragedy
Driver dies, passenger badly hurt in Sunday crash Page A2
NEWS GAZETTE
NEWS: The teenage brain examined /A3 COMMUNITY: Longer spring break a hit /A6 SPORTS: Belmont alums, Camosun Chargers enter volleyball nationals ranked No. 1 /A23
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Wednesday, March 11, 2015
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Jogger was sexually assaulted
E-cig rules need tweak: merchant
RCMP release detail of attack
Langford shop manager says proposed legislation goes too far in some ways, not far enough in others
Mike Davies News Gazette staff
Last week, the B.C. government announced legislation that not only bans the sale of electronic cigarettes to minors, it also aims to tighten regulations on their use in workplaces, restaurants and other indoor public spaces. Health Minister Terry Lake said the changes he introduced in the legislature last Thursday will treat the battery-powered devices like tobacco products, meaning they may not be displayed in stores or used in enclosed spaces where others are present, including private vehicles with children inside. Don Parkes, a manager at CEV Solutions in Langford, which specializes in vaporizers and e-juices, agrees with some aspects of the legislation, but not others. “One thing I really don’t like is that they’re classifying (it) as a ‘tobacco product,’ when it’s not,” he said. He argued that the nicotine in most electronic cigarette juice is synthetically manufactured, so it doesn’t have any connection to tobacco, other than being the single chemical contained in both products. He wholeheartedly agrees with the ban on sales to minors, however. It’s generally accepted by retailers of the products that they shouldn’t sell to anyone under 19, Parkes said, but because it hasn’t technically been illegal, some do it anyway. “Legislation is definitely needed. (Not selling) to anyone under 19 is something that the majority of stores are already doing on their own …
Mike Davies/News Gazette staff
Don Parkes of CEV Solutions in Langford says new e-cigarette legislation introduced last week addresses some of the issues involved with preventing youth from using the products, but falls short in other areas that go beyond youth access and use. Once you’re 19, then you can make the decision yourself if you want to try these products or not, and that’s pretty much the standard across the industry. There may be some store clerks that say, ‘there’s no legislation there, so I’ll go ahead and sell it to you.’ But if it is happening, it’s a very small percentage and most likely it’s going against the owners’ wishes.” Lake said that while the legislation is not an overall ban on the products, it will mean “that children are protected from the sale and from being exposed to e-cigarettes, and those who don’t want to be subjected to the vapours from e-cigarettes are protected as well.” Parkes said if that’s the goal, the legislation doesn’t go far enough. He would prefer to see a “bootlegging-type charge” introduced relating to these products, similar to ones in effect for
those caught supplying tobacco or alcohol to minors. He agreed with regulating where people are allowed to use the product at this point, but believes the science will eventually show that the health impacts of the product are not substantial enough to warrant it. When that happens, he said, the regulation should be re-examined. “Until there is more research to satisfy the medical side of things, the ‘no indoor vaping’ rule is probably a good thing,” he said. “Once the research comes out and disproves the concern about there being hazards due to secondhand vapour, it could always be reversed.” PlEASE SEE: Government should share research, Page A4
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West Shore RCMP have now confirmed the attack on a jogger March 3 is now being investigated as a sexual assault. Police say a 23-yearold Langford woman was running on a walking trail off Shoreview Drive near Glen Lake in Langford around 7 p.m. that night when a man asked her for the time before knocking her unconscious and taking her cellphone and money. The attacker was wearing a dark windbreaker with red on the side and under the arm that made a “squishy” sound, and black gloves with thick wristbands, according to police. The victim was treated for bruises and released from hospital later that evening. Despite an extensive search, police were unable to locate the suspect and he was still at large as of Monday. The West Shore RCMP’s Major Crime Unit and Island District Forensic Identification Services are actively investigating. Police call the attack “random” and “isolated,” but are still looking for tips from the public. Anyone with information is asked to contact the West Shore RCMP at 250474-2264 or CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477). mdavies@goldstream gazette.com
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